Lameness in sheep: a practical guide to non-contagious foot diseases

Non-contagious foot diseases are the most important causes of lameness on some farms, and farmers are often concerned when they see abnormal feet. Granulomas, shelly hoof and white line abscesses are common non-contagious foot diseases on UK sheep farms. This article presents an overview of these diseases, including their clinical presentation, aetiology and epidemiology, and treatment and control.

A Cross-Sectional Epizootiological Study and Risk Assessment of Foot-Related Lesions and Lameness in Intensive Dairy Sheep Farms

Foot-related lameness, foot-diseases and lesions are emerging issues in dairy sheep; however, relevant epizootiological studies are scarce, and risk factors have not been elucidated. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were (i) to address this dearth of knowledge by investigating the epizootiology of lameness-related foot-lesions and diseases, and (ii) to assess the impact of potential risk factors on foot health, in intensive dairy sheep farms. Thirty farms were assigned in two representative clusters using a multivariate statistical analysis. Three farms per cluster and 100 multiparous milking ewes per farm (total n = 600) were selected and enrolled in the study. Foot-related lameness, ovine interdigital dermatitis (OID), infectious footrot (IFR), white line disease, hoof wall cracks, as well as health and welfare traits were recorded. Overall prevalence of foot-related lameness was 9.0% and was primarily associated with IFR; however, additional infectious and non-infectious foot diseases and lesions also contributed. Among infectious foot diseases, OID was the most prevalent (21.3%) followed by IFR (8.0%); WLD and hoof wall cracks were the most prevalent non-infectious foot-lesions (37.7% and 15.3%, respectively). IFR and OID prevalence increased with age (p < 0.05) and BCS (p < 0.01), respectively, suggesting that host-related factors and husbandry practices are important determinants of its occurrence.

Modification of the cotton woven fabrics with Tancho® for using on the diabetic foot symptom

Diabetes is a chronic disease that is widely spread in this time. Diabetic foot is one of the most common symptoms, it starts when the dryness emerge after that the cracks appear on the back or outcrops of the foot. The primary treatment for these symptoms is considered the best choice to prevent diabetic foot diseases. The aim of this study is using treated fabric with Tancho® (based on olive oil) to give the cracked or pre-ulcer foot the sufficient hydration for skin cells during the rest periods to heal. The study was based on using 100% cotton woven fabrics with three structures that are treated with Tancho® petroleum jelly as emulsion using two techniques; Pad/Batch and Pad/Dry/Cure methods, to compare between them in the improvement of fabric for healing. Weight and thickness were conducted to evaluate the fabric functional performance before and after treatment with Tancho®. The antimicrobial activity was done for samples to determine the biological property. Roughness, SEM and TEM were done to study the morphological surface of samples produced. Finally, the best samples performances as a result from radar chart analysis were applied in vivo for rats, to determine the efficiency of the treated samples through clinical observation and histopathological changes. The results of the produced samples that weaved by three different structures and treated with Pad/Batch method were increased of the stimulation of skin cells to heal after surgical either in case of use for surface skin scratches or as scaffold for skin layers.

In-sole plantar pressure device with optimization measurement techniques

<span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" lang="EN-GB">Doctors and clinicians rely on accurate underfoot pressure data to perform diagnosis of foot diseases. In sole pressure measurement systems are designed to provide such data but its implementation suffers from certain constraints such as the need for a spacer to be placed on the sensor when taking measurements and the need for multiple calibrations due to the fact that the sensor parameters tend to change without it. In this work, we proposed an optimization technique to address these limitations. The results obtained from testing indicate that the proposed device performed measurement of plantar pressure effectively. Also, the calculation of body weight using the proposed optimization technique is improved from 5.07% to 9.06%. For validation, the results are compared with the measurements from a commercial plantar pressure device (EMED system) as benchmark. </span>

Control of infectious lameness in sheep

Lameness in sheep remains a significant welfare and economic issue for many UK sheep farms. The principle causes of lameness are the infectious foot diseases footrot and contagious ovine digital dermatitis. This article will review the recent research on the microbial aetiology, epidemiology, prevention and treatment of both diseases and the application of this knowledge into farm specific control plans utilising the Five Point Plan framework.